As adland stays focused on the tie-up between Publicis Groupe and Omnicom Group, the largest agency-business merger in history, a handful of small independent marketing shops are banding together to form a holding company called The & Partnership.

The agencies include WPP-backed ad shop Chi & Partners and its media operation M Six, itself a joint venture with WPP’s GroupM; digital and customer relationship management shop Rapier; PR agency Halpern; and social shop The Social Practice. The companies, mostly based in the U.K., tout a combined staff of over 1,000. Under the new holding group, they’ll will work toward a single profit and loss statement. Clients include Samsung, Direct Energy, PBS and IHG.

Johnny Hornby, CEO of Chi & Partners and the guy who orchestrated the creation of the new group, will serve as global CEO. Andrew Bailey, North American chairman of BBDO’s Proximity, is leaving to serve as North America CEO.